I tongue-and-cheeked it through my column on Tyler Seguin last night after Game 2.

Such is a product of being at the TD Garden for 13 hours straight.

But now that I’ve landed in Tampa, where the anticipation for Game 3 actually has pushed the temperature of the air to 80 — yes, the weather can actually be warm in May — I did want to go back and make a couple more serious points about what I witnessed.

•First, about Seguin. No one, not even this blog, ever said he stunk or didn’t have skills or shouldn’t ever play in the NHL. Based on how he lollygagged it through the regular season, however, he didn’t seem ready to take the next big step in his maturity.

Putting a 19-year-old kid with just 22 hits on his stat sheet into the fire of the playoffs when there were better options didn’t make a lot of sense. Let me remind you that the Bruins are in the conference final for the first time in 19 years.

When talk turns to whether Seguin was given a chance to earn more playing time and be a part of the postseason lineup, consider: from March 15 through the game of April 4 he skated on a line with Rich Peverley and Chris Kelly, a trio similar to the one he skated on in Game 2 with Kelly and Michael Ryder.

Over that span of 11 games, he averaged 13 minutes per night. He scored one goal and was a minus-2. Does that sound like a case for more playing time? Even on the power play, who should he have replace with numbers like that?

But let’s look beyond the numbers. I think all of us, even the most irrational among us, would agree Mark Recchi is a sage observer of the game, a great leader and a solid thinker. If you’ve listened to his comments the last couple days about Seguin, there’s one recurring theme — “the kid’s competing.” Aha. There it is. He’s competing. That’s not something you say about a fellow athlete and teammate unless there was a time when he wasn’t competing. And that, ultimately, is why Seguin was out of the lineup.

Now he’s in, he’s playing like he never played in the regular season, and he’s doing it at the most important time — time that could turn out to be historic. Enjoy it.

But don’t say you predicted it or that Julien did anything to limit this kid’s development. And remember too, that one game does not a legend make.

•Real quick on the D, I’m not sure if I wrote this already, but that might’ve been the worst defensive performance from six defenseman in a game coached by Julien since he took over the Bruins — win or lose. Dennis Seidenberg was, as Julien likes to say, “a horse.” But the rest of them, including Zdeno Chara, looked like they were doing a tribute to the pre-Julien 2006-07 Bruins.

They have to get their acts together or the burns they return to Boston with won’t be from the sun. When they take a shot from the point, they can’t stand still and admire it. Almost every Tampa Bay breakaway in Game 2 was the result or a blocked shot and a forward blowing the zone. Do they not know that’s what the Lightning do? Do they suddenly want to play like the Washington Capitals?

Anyway, I’d expect a 1-0 or 2-1 game in Game 3 because both coaches will demand their defenses tighten up. And their resume tells you they will. But the Bruins’ defensemen will only be able to limit the Lightning by being a lot smarter and more on their toes.

RF – I think the point is that great ‘talent’ alone doesn’t make a great hockey player. We all saw the glimpses. His first goal – a few of those rocket wristers – even some passes that seemed ill advised (directly across the flow) that hit streaking teammates in stride and on the tape. That’s what really was blowing my mind. We saw all those things these last two games. The breakaways and roofed shots. The lightning wrister in response to Horton’s feed, and that delicious backhand pass off the wall to a streaking Kelly. That has always bubbled to the surface. What didn’t – or hadn’t until now – is the poise, the confidence and the physical aggressiveness or assertiveness.. call it what you like. Tyler is now showing that he is able to dictate play instead of react to it.

I’m sorry, but everyone who says he should have been playing earlier is just dead wrong in my estimation because he would have been making a lot of mistakes, his confidence would have sunk, and he’d be further from where he is now. That’s the concept behind bringing a youngster along slowly. Imagine yourselves at 18 and stepping on the Garden Ice. Even with all the talent in the world – I’m the first to admit there is no way I would have been able to handle it well. That’s why its so rare.

For those asking why not insert him in the lineup just for the PP – We can debate that back and forth until next season – as far as I’m concerned, the package we all wanted is here when we most need it. The regular season is over, we finished 3rd and we have home ice for the E Conference finals. No matter your opinion – it couldn’t have worked out better than where we sit tonight heading into Tampa. Water under the Bridge – and love them or hate them (I’m no JC fan) PC and JC deserve ALL the credit for this working out perfectly. Period.

I’m going to put this as lightly as I can here, it is obvious to most astute observers that even prior to this emergence Seguin has elite level talent. I’m not talking Krejci or Bergeron or even Savard like talent. I’m talking legit high end talent (Yzerman, Messier) – for this to be a “total shock” and suprising that Seguin is performing this way or had the ability to perform this way is a load of crap. His talent is obvious, it’s exciting that he is putting it all together, to suggest that there were no “SIGNS” or there were STATS that would have prevented ice time to further his development sounds like Monday morning quarterbacking.

Yeah, he didn’t play good D. So what? Why wasn’t he on the power play? MK asks who he should have replaced on that PP unit. How about any of them? It wasn’t getting the job done, Seguin couldn’t have made it any worse, and no one else on the team has the same offensive upside.

So yeah, I blame Claude a bit. Not for giving him only 3/4 line minutes even handed, but for not putting him out on the PP.

It may yet come down to a hot goalie. Seguin’s mistakes are not so egregious as to say he is entirely a liability if he is competing, but during the regular season, when the puck was on his stick for as MattK said, less time than a mosquito passing gas, he made all kinds of turnovers and was a Ryder-like albatross in the defensive zone. All of which is a really good reason to worry about a player’s defense, and limit the time he has to make those mistakes. That said, so far he has competed these playoffs. That means, he holds onto the puck, waits for the right moment to shoot, pass, or dump, thereby limiting turnovers and preventing odd man rushes the other way. If we get into that sort of game every night, TB will win the series, we can pull out 1 maybe 2 that way, but a run-and-gun game favors the more skilled team: the bruins have the least skill of any team left in the playoffs. Seguin has now made himself into a non-albatross, and will throw a check or otherwise impede the movement of the offensive team in some way, making him a good candidate for a mediocre defensive player. With his offense that’s all he needs.

One final thought: Everyone over-analyzes the guy because we all have such high hopes for him that everything about him gets blown out of control. That’s why so many people are upset with Claude. Their expectations have not been met in the way they expected them to be/wanted them to be. It can’t be Seguin’s fault, so it has to be who is managing him. That what the arguments that have been around and on this blog boil down to. As a result, it’s pretty much impossible to argue either side to the viewpoint of the other.

Seguin’s defensive lapses are the most overblown thing going in Boston sports right now. They are even more exaggerated than the Sox’ struggles early on. Many forwards on this team are average to below average defensively, yet Julien keeps rolling them over the boards (read: Ryder, Lucic, Horton). They are veterans, some more than others, I get that. Every mistake Seguin made was enlarged by the staff. He was under a lot of scrutiny. I think he could have scored 20 this season if he wasn’t so restricted.

That said, he is clearly peaking when it matters, so would I trade a season’s worth of frustration of not having Seguin on the ice for him to come out in the ECF and totally destroy all of TB’s defensemen? Yes, I guess I would. I am interested to see how he plays in TB. If (and that is a massive IF) he keeps it up, you would have to imagine the trickle down effect would open lanes and opportunities for other players and other lines. If Seguin is going to threaten the net every shift, doesn’t TB have to put their defensive forwards out there against his line…doesn’t that open up the ice for the KHL line and Marchand? Seguin has done his part. It is now time for everyone else on this team to wake up and engage.

The defense has played two of its worst games, back to back. They will fix that. TT will begin to take over, starting tonight.

@ mg – It seems you missed the entire second half of the story where Matt rips the defense a new one. Good job. The rest I agree with about Seguin’s development. While I was pulling for the kid to get his hattie for this game, I think that he still has a ways to go in his development and I understand Im in the minority when I say I agree with the way that CJ’s been handling this kid.

I never had huge objections to Seguin going to the press box for the start of the series. I think relying on Veterans was the better move.

I do think it is clear Seguin has been learning while not being dressed for games. I think coaches have likely been working with him-because the reality is that no team goes through the playoffs without injury. The B’s probably figured at some point Seguin would have to play (although nobody imagined it would be Bergeron out). He stepped up and appears to be handling the move pretty well.

And I agree about the defense. They have looked as a corps pretty awful the last two games. The Tampa team is quick and explosive and they know how to capitalize on errors-and they are eating our defense alive. The defensemen have to play better.

Why do people ignore all the poor defensive plays made by clodds favorites? All they focus on is The Kids mistakes . I get the feeling some of his teamates are pumped up after his second period the other night. Go Bruins GO.

I don’t care is Seguin ever helps out in the defensive end. If he is the offensive minded player we have seen and is most comfortable and productive from the red line in so be it. Can we stop with this endless play book of defense. Hey we won a game by out scoring the opposition. You get the same amount of points for a 6 to 5 win as a 2 to 1. Tyler go out and get points there are others to play defensive roles.

Nifty.. what’s with the hothead?! Must be the moon. I hope its the moon.

How can anyone be upset when we’ve just seen the tip of the iceberg that is the Bruins’ future?! These last two games have given me a huge woody ManCrush. If two of Spooner, Knight and Sauve pan out, and Rask proves to be a 2.5 / 9.25… Boys, the good times are just beginning!

(thinking Lucic or Krecji and the pick for Nash or something similar for 2012, by the way……..)

You could have put those stats in context. Those two weeks were pretty awful. It’s called playing out the string. I used my eyes and hockey experience to realize he shouldn’t start the playoffs. My problem is you still criticized the guy when he was sitting. You can take your stats and shove them. I’m sure you know who they’re for. You’ve lost me.